Links Taproom Mini Review

“A bar for beer nerds” is how owners of Wicker Park’s new Links Taproom have described their new sausage and craft beer joint. With a description like that, I knew it was a place Andrew and I had to try. So when he was in town for a few days this week and we’d both had stressful 12-hour work days, beer and sausages seemed like the perfect dinner option. So to Links Taproom we went.

Not overly crowded on a Monday night, we were able to score seats at a communal table near the bar. The beers are displayed on large TV screens around the bar, showing the levels of each keg. It also displays who’s checked in on FourSquare and UnTapped, a funky new way to incorporate social media into the space. It’s cute seeing your picture scroll across the screen once you’ve checked in, but perhaps a little overkill.

The beer list is impressive. Featuring a mix of local Chicagoland brews and small cask wines. They even had a prosecco on tap when I visited, although the list focuses heavily on beer. I sipped an Anchor Brewing, Anchor IPA out of San Francisco. A huge fan of their Anchor Steam, I was pleased to find similar qualities in their IPA version. A beer success!

For dinner Andrew and shared crispy fries, dangerous fried cheese curds and two sausages. I chose the spicy chorizo with Oh! Tequila slaw and jalapeño mustard. Andrew had a brat with creamy slaw and the same mustard. Biggest win? The jalapeno mustard was a home-run, adding the right amount of spice to both links.

The fries were crispy and not overly greasy. The cheese curds had a golden fried outside and perfectly gooey inside. But the best part of the sides? The dips, of course. A so-called “sexy” ranch was perfect on the cheese curds and goat-cheese garlic was my favorite for the fries.

I do wish that Links would consider wait staff, as I don’t prefer to order at the bar when I’m planning to have a full sit-down meal. Outside of that, the meal was just what we anticipated… the perfect fried and booze-filled end to an overly stressful day. Thanks, Links!

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